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Let there be no doubt: USC is scary-good. The Trojans took advantage of turnovers on three consecutive Illini possessions, the first coming on a play deep in USC's red zone, to turn a somewhat close game into an unmitigated pistol-whipping, 49-17.
Illinois receiver Arrelious Benn fumbled after taking a reception inside USC's five-yard-line, and the Trojans recovered in the end zone. From there, it went touchdown, pick, touchdown, fumble, touchdown, and a USC lead that easily could have been cut to 21-17 was instead 42-10 before the Illini could catch their breath.
The real turning point, however, may not have been the fumble recovery that started the avalanche; on the ensuing drive, USC faced a 2nd and 12 at their 18 when quarterback John David Booty looped a backward pass over tailback Joe McKnight's head. As the Illini defense slowed, McKnight picked up the ball and sprinted 56 yards for a backbreaking first down deep in Illini territory, as shown at right. Six plays later, the Trojans found the end zone, and the game was effectively over.
The lone bright spot for Illinois was Rashard Mendenhall, who tallied over 200 total yards including a 79-yard touchdown run on the second play of the second half. The speedy tailback racked up seven of Illinois' 17 first downs and accounted for none of their turnovers. Still, it wasn't near enough, as the Illini were down by 39 points by the time starters started coming off the field.
The amount of credit due to the USC offensive line is inestimable; they opened gaping holes for tailbacks Chauncey Washington and McKnight all night long, and they made John David Booty look downright competent. Indeed, the Trojan offense racked up 633 yards in a well-balanced attack, and at no point did the Illinois defense look capable of slowing the Trojan attack.
As the endgame approached, the Trojan players tried to douse Pete Carroll with Gatorade. Carroll's aura is an invisible steel cocoon, however, and the man was impeccably Saharan as he accepted the championship trophy. For him, like for his team, the victory was no sweat.
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